Grasshopper on bean and praying mantis on melon 1788

Curator: Oh, look, it's "Grasshopper on Bean and Praying Mantis on Melon," a delightful woodblock print made around 1788 by Kitagawa Utamaro. It’s currently held in the collection here at the Rijksmuseum. Editor: How charming! It’s such a tranquil scene, like a little tableau vivant of the vegetable garden. And the colors are so muted; it has a calming, almost ethereal quality. Curator: Ukiyo-e prints often depict scenes from everyday life or the natural world. What's interesting here is how Utamaro elevates these commonplace insects into almost heroic figures within their humble setting. Editor: I see that. The praying mantis, especially, has such presence, poised so deliberately atop the melon, like it is surveying its little kingdom. And how intriguing to bring such creatures into art; did Utamaro’s audience react well to this at the time? Curator: Insects were potent symbols in Edo-period Japan, linked with different meanings—longevity, ferocity, good fortune. Also, publishing botanical guides featuring close observations was fashionable. Here, though, Utamaro seems to do something distinct, where it brings art closer to science and scientific inquiry into art. Editor: Ah, yes, like art reflecting the world around it—a tiny window on society’s fascination with science and its natural setting, even as those outside cultural institutions struggled, caught up in poverty or feudal obligations? It also speaks to the popular embrace of nature in the city centers: it provided them a window on the landscape without having to experience rural life and discomfort. Curator: A nice point; that tension—between those two spheres, let's call it--was so central. But tell me—putting the analytical stuff to one side—what feelings does it stir in you? Editor: A wistful sort of tranquility. As if for a fleeting moment all is well with the world and that the whole universe centers around a leaf and melon in the patch! Curator: Indeed. This piece leaves me feeling the same: that one needn't travel far for meaning and beauty to blossom forth.